Dear Duane,
I agree with Mary - the use of the RATs (and having them count) are huge motivators for people to come in prepared - and making sure everyone is on the same page before the team project begins (application). Without that portion of TBL - you cannot be assured that students will prepare - or at least be ready to work on the problems.
I also agree that separating the RAT from the Project/application is a reasonable way to manage time. In fact, if you need more than one RATs before people work on an application - that should be ok - the basic premise is that the students should have all the skills/information necessary to solve the problem before you start - and if they don't - they are not yet prepared.
I also agree - that the peer evaluation should be broader than just right answer, but helping to learn and understand the pre-work as well as solving the problem is important.
********************************************************
Sandy COOK, PhD | Senior Associate Dean, Curriculum Development |
Medical Education, Research, and Evaluation (MERE) |
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore | Khoo Teck Puat Building | 8 College Road Singapore |169857 |
W: (65) 6516 8722| F: (65) 6227 2698 |
email: [log in to unmask] | web: http://www.duke-nus.edu.sg;
Administrative Executive: Belinda Yeo | [log in to unmask] | 6516-8511
Important: This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify us immediately; you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. Thank you.
-----Original Message-----
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mary Barrett
Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 5:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: In class time for project.
Hi Duane,
I suspect that asking students to prepare the project on an individual basis before coming to class may be demotivating them because they must initially confront a complex project alone rather than in their teams.
In my graduate class on Job Analysis, Recruitment and Selection, where the team projects are fairly complex, often requiring some maths, knowledge of statute law, and analysis of case law, I use the individual readiness assurance tests (iRATs) and team readiness tests (tRATs) to make sure teams have the basic knowledge needed for the project. The iRATs and tRATs are done during one 2.5 hour class, and typically students also start the project in their teams during that time. If they haven't started the project during the first class, I give them the project problem to read before the second class if they wish. There is no request to try to think it through individually before working on it as a team. Students continue (or start) working on the project in the next 2.5 hour class, and also critique and challenge each other's solutions during that second class. I have had no problems with motivation.
I also think you might be asking the students too often to allocate points to their team members. I do this just once during the entire semester. And I ask for students to give points to their colleagues for their contribution to the group's work, not specifically for the extent to which each person contributed to achieving a 'right answer'.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Mary Barrett
Professor of Management
School of Management & Marketing
University of Wollongong NSW 2522
Australia
http://www.uow.edu.au/commerce/smm
Phone +61 (0)2 4221 4991
Fax +61 (0)2 4227 2785
Email [log in to unmask]
|
